It is with great pride that I announce The Adventurebilt Legacy Collection, a brand new line of hats inspired by the Indiana Jones films.

The first offering in the collection is none other than the hat that started it all: the brown "Hero" fedora we see Indy wearing as he steps out of the shadows of the Peruvian Jungle. And so it began with the felt. I worked diligently to produce a light-weight and very pliable rabbit felt to replicate what we see on film. To complement this, I selected a very supple and lightweight leather to create the perfect sweatband, creating the most comfortable and effortless fit. Having these two important elements in play, I then turned to Master hatter Steve Delk's original interpretation of the Raiders block to create the iconic look of the crown, finishing the inside with a bridal satin embroidered AB liner. The jigs I use to get the dimensiona

lly cut brim were taken from a hand cut brim by Richard Swales, the man responsible for the original film used hats. I use not only the same ribbon used in the film, but sew it on in the exact same way, a simple yet important detail meant for the discerning eye of the truest Indiana Jones fans. I hope you'll enjoy these offerings as much as I do and I look forward to adding to the collection as time goes on.

All my best,

John Penman

A few years ago John Penman sent me a hat to check out as he wanted to know, from me, how he was doing in hat making. First ya gotta realize that I call ‘em as I see ‘em, and NEVER would tell a guy a lie about his work just to make him feel good. I was ready to give John plenty of constructive critiques, but was deeply impressed when I realized I simply did not have to. I checked out John's work with a fine tooth comb and told him that his hats are just as good as what I make. And I meant it. Some people are just naturals when it comes to certain things, and John is a natural at making hats. Now understand, others (I won't mention any names) have sent me their hats and most had a long way to go before they could in good conscience sell what they made. John was the first to send me a hat that had such attention to the important details that "make" a hat. I could give John no advice because he already had everything down pat. I know John's customers will be elated each time they get one of these hats. John's skills are top notch.

Now, if a customer wanted a fedora as seen in the first Indy film made using the same wood blocks, felt, ribbon and sweatband they would be out of luck. But I did not want this to be the case for the Crystal Skull fedora. Therefore, John Penman and I have made arrangements to ensure that the Indy IV hat will live on. John has my Crystal Skull blocks (for both the brown Hero hat, as well as the unique gray travel fedora), and uses all my same suppliers, thus the hat he makes for you will be an exact clone of the hats I made for Indy IV. I also taught John the tricks I used when making this particular fedora, a measure I took in order to make it very difficult for another hatter to replicate this hat. John has the full legal rights to the Adventurebilt name and to the CS fedora plus he has my Raiders block if anyone in the future would want my own rendition of that most iconic of hats. Now all Indy fans and hat fans have access to a clone of the hat used in Indy IV. John is doing me a great favor in keeping the Adventurebilt name alive, as well as the hats I have made for Indy, so there is no doubt that the fedora you own will look just like Indy's.

Sincerely,

Steve Delk

The Raiders : How the raiders hat is creased off center or what some like to call "the Turn."

Green line = True Center of a Hat Red line = is how the Raiders hat is creased

Young Indy

New to the Adventurebilt Legacy Collection is the "Young Indy." This hat replicates the hat that Shawn Patrick Flanery wore in the TV show "The Adventures of Young Indiana Jones.You now can wear a hat that Indy wore on his early historical adventures. With it's wide ribbon, soft creases and wide non-dimensional brim.